Oregon – BCS Contendor

Lost in all the talk of a college football title game featuring Louisiana State, Oklahoma State or Alabama is the impressive season unfolding at Oregon. Head coach Chip Kelly’s Ducks are currently dominating the Pac-12 conference and sitting in 4th among BCS teams. With a bruising offense and a strong defense, the Ducks are staying in the conversation for the title game as the season unfolds. Since their season-opening loss to then-#4 LSU, Oregon has run off nine wins, with their most recent victory being a strong win over #4 Stanford and its Heisman trophy candidate, Andrew Luck.

A fast, powerful team, the Ducks grind out an amazing 500 yards per game on offense, piling up nearly 47 points per game while only giving up 21.7. The team is ranked 5th in the country with nearly 300 yards per game on the ground, and its points per game total stands in 3rd place nationally. With a win margin of 25 points per game, the team has taken down #18 Arizona State and Stanford for its signature wins in 2011. The 69 points the Ducks scored on September 10th rank as one of the highest scoring games in Division I this year.

Although the idea of Oregon in the title game is not far-fetched, the Ducks are more likely to be the Pac-12 representatives in the Rose Bowl; the team only has home games against unrated USC and Oregon State remaining. With both Michigan State and Wisconsin as potential opponents, Oregon will likely enter the game as the favorite, thanks in large part to one of the dominant offenses in the game today. Regardless of whether they play in New Orleans or Pasadena, the Ducks have impressed many college football experts, and are likely to sell a large number of BCS tickets with their hard-nosed style of play.